I just got myself a nice toy, the DJI Phantom, with the idea to shoot riders from above. I haven't found any report so far of anyone doing this, yet I am convinced it's doable if it can fly in up to 15-20 mph (13-17+ knots), as I was told it would handle without problem.Anyone with such experience to confirm my assumption that it would work just great with the Phantom or any ready-to-fly video equipped quadcopter for the matter?For those who don't know what I am talking about:

Last edited by alexrider on Wed Jul 10, 2013 5:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.

alexrider wrote:I just got myself a nice toy, the DJI Phantom, with the idea to shoot riders from above. I haven't found any report so far of anyone doing this, yet I am convinced it's doable if it can fly in 15-20 mph (13-17+ knots), as I was told it would handle without problem.Anyone with such experience to confirm my assumption that it would work just great with the Phantom or any ready-to-fly video equipped quadcopter for the matter?For those who don't know what I am talking about:

Hi mate,

I guess you have never flown that thing. Get an instructor or someone who knows how to fly that thing to give you plenty of lessons first or you will end up like that guy:

Caesar wrote:Hi mate,I guess you have never flown that thing. Get an instructor or someone who knows how to fly that thing to give you plenty of lessons first or you will end up like that guy:hilarious youtube clipMy plane ended up in a tree first time too. CheersCaesar PS: Max. 17 knots (with no gusts) I would say.

Latest generation of quadcopters (the Phantom in particular) are a piece of cake to fly. You let go the controls, it just sits there without moving, even in winds (in GPS control mode). If you lose contact with the drone, it will return on its own at precisely the place it took off from. Quite amazing. No lesson needed, unlike for the choppers bitches.

I have had a Phantom for a while now, but don't really shoot kiting with it. I have no doubt you can fly it in 15-20 knots BUT you're still putting 1000 bux up in the sky and hoping it doesn't fly away. Adding in the wind/ water adds a bit of risk, so you have to decide if it's worth it.

It's super easy to learn to fly it, but getting quality video (no jello) can be a problem. GoPros do not like the vibration of the motors, so I use a piece of neoprene between Gopro mount and body and it works pretty well. Since it's small and light, it's going to blow around a little in the wind and GPS will hold it in position pretty well, but it all affects your footage.

In my opinion, the Phantom rocks right out of the box, and can't be beat for the price. There are better choices for aerial video out there, and a larger quad will be more stable in the wind and haul a bigger camera. There are also a few "waterproof" quads out there if you search for Aquacopter, but electronics and saltwater still don't mix. DJI Phantom Owners Group on Facebook is very active with info. Read up on flyaways because it can and does happen and IMO, the ones who did the updates are the ones having the problems. My advice is to not do the software updates.

Note- the heli in the 2nd video is not even in the same league as a quadcopter and also very dangerous.

I custom built a quad specifically for the purpose of filming kitesurfing. When it comes to stability in high winds, size is your friend. My quad is 1.1m (43") between rotor centres and has an all up weight of 5.65Kg (~12.5lb) including 2 x 8000mAh 4S batteries + camera (panasonic HDC-TM700) and gimbal. I use the APM2.5 controller with full telemetry which gives plenty of functionality including altitude hold, position hold as well as fully autonomous control. I also use Fatshark FPV. I am currently working on a system that will allow me to fly the quad and have the camera automatically track a moving target (using a GPS transmitter on the target). I can get over 20 minutes flight time but this is reduced to a safe 15min in strong wind (it takes more energy to maintain position in higher winds). I can fly comfortably in 25 knot winds, but you'd better be quick on the sticks when ever you fly down wind! FPV is practically a requirement as it gets very hard to frame a shot from any distance. The Phantom by all accounts is a great little unit and if you have never flown a multicopter before it would be my recommended starting point. A lot of the comments you get online regarding instability in high wind relate to flying over land, usually in a relatively built up area where there is plenty of obstacles to create turbulence. We are in the fortunate position of almost always being in nice clean air (would you kite anywhere else?!) I notice a big difference in wind handling capability when I am out over the water compared to anywhere in land. As a kiter I am sure you are well aware of areas to avoid due to the likelihood of turbulent air (including directly downwind of any kite you might be following!). There are plenty of reasonable examples of Phantom + GoPro video. Vibration dampening is definitely a biggy and is something I have spent a lot of time fighting. Crashes are inevitable. Don't put anything up in the air that you couldn't bear to loose. I have had my whole rig 'auto land' in the harbour due to a faulty current sensor (it thought its battery was flat so decided to land immediately right where it was). Although some of the electronics still work, I could never trust them again so these have been put on a smaller rig that I use with the kids just for fun. I'm sure you will manage some decent footage from the Phantom but you will probably be limited to the low end of the kite-able wind range. Once you have the bug, you'll certainly want to be upgrading....